Staff members count ballots for the election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)
-- The election will ensure the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" and the region's long-term peace and stability, said Wu Xinghua, president of Laos' Chinese Times.
-- The election will usher in optimism for the future of the financial hub's post-pandemic recovery and boost the successful development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, said Herman Tiu Laurel, founder of Philippine BRICS Strategic Studies.
-- The election was very peaceful, free and fair, showing a picture of a true and genuine democracy, said Saeed Chaudhry, director of Pakistan's Islamabad Council for International Affairs.
BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) paves the way for safeguarding the HKSAR's long-term peace and stability, which will promote the city's prosperity and development and benefit its people, experts said.
Staff members are seen at the polling station of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Gang)
The HKSAR LegCo election kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement of the HKSAR electoral system. All the 90 members of the seventh-term LegCo of the HKSAR have been elected by Monday morning.
Ensuring the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," the new electoral system featuring broad representation, political inclusiveness, balanced participation, and fair competition suits Hong Kong's actual situation and reflects the overall interests of the society.
Wu Xinghua, president of Laos' Chinese Times, a Vientiane-based media, told Xinhua that the election will ensure the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" and the region's long-term peace and stability.
The election will help implement the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" said Hamed Vafaei, director of the Asia Research Center at the University of Tehran.
The improved election system and its successful practice, Vafaei added, will help Hong Kong achieve lasting peace and stability.
Cambodian government chief spokesman Phay Siphan said the election will strengthen unity in the HKSAR and inspire the people of the HKSAR to be patriotic.
Voters wait to cast ballot at a polling station in Whampoa, south China's Hong Kong, Dec. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)
The election will bring peace, political stability, development and prosperity for the people of Hong Kong, he added.
The election will usher in optimism for the future of the financial hub's post-pandemic recovery and boost the successful development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, said Herman Tiu Laurel, founder of Philippine BRICS Strategic Studies.
The election was very peaceful, free and fair, showing a picture of a true and genuine democracy, said Saeed Chaudhry, director of Pakistan's Islamabad Council for International Affairs, noting that the improved electoral system ensures all the elected are patriotic and sincere to the nation and would work to further enhance the prosperity and economic development of Hong Kong. ■
